Knowledge & Skills

By Norman Dunn

It was a vision to begin with. Dutch poultry farmer and university lecturer Ruud Zanders searched the world for a carbon-neutral egg production system. Early-on, it became clear that this vision would greatly profit from Nijsen-Granico’s “food for feed” concept. Another identified requirement was animal housing designed to supply all required energy for ventilation, lighting, etc. Zanders formed a partnership with three other businessmen and named the company Kipster.

By Norman Dunn

Here’s an overall concept involving farmer, feed miller, food processor and retailer all working together. The aim: production of welfare-based and environmentally-friendly high-quality food. The concept has already started in the Netherlands where one of the first projects features egg and chicken meat production.

By Thomas Preusse

The present EU agricultural policy (CAP) applies until 2020. But if EU Commission proposals for the period 2021 to 2027 are followed, we’ll still be meeting old acquaintances then including capping and degressive payments or risk management through insurances. But what exactly might be new?

By Christoph Foth

»Toss your preconceptions overboard«. Here’s a socialist country that’s not behind the times and neither corrupt nor poverty ridden. Although on mainly poor soils, its agriculture remains productive thanks to a well-managed planned economy.

By Sibylle Möcklinghoff-Wicke, Dairy Innovation Team

Ripp‘s Dairy Valley is a family business run by brothers Chuck, Gary and Troy Ripp and their families. Stocking is 980 cows, 880 of them milked three times daily. Labour force: 18 workers including eight milkers.

By Enno Karstens

Advisers know it. Farm business comparisons show it. The biggest influence on farm results is the farmer’s entrepreneurial spirit. Increasing output through more fields and more livestock is not the only way ahead. So what else do modern farmers need for business success?

By EPP (European Pig Producers)

Pig farming is an important and significant industry in the global agricultural and food sector. A decisive factor for the increase in global demand for high-quality food in the past two decades was the demographic development.

By Dr Friedrich Longin, University of Hohenheim

Nutrition. A flood of currently published books claims wheat is bad for health. But too often the respective authors ignore or misinterpret the cereal’s scientifically proven benefits: an approach that does more harm to humans who really suffer from wheat-caused diseases.

By Per Frankelius, Charlotte Norrman and Knut Johansen

In a research project that had been running for five years at Linköping University, Sweden, the entry of unmanned aircraft technology and sensors in global agriculture has been studied. Per Frankelius ranks the use of unmanned aircraft technology in parity with the satellite revolution or other earlier agricultural developments.

By Dr Christian Bickert

Protein strategies or »homegrown protein« – these are the terms when talk is of substitutes for imported soymeal such as peas, field beans or rapeseed meal. But more than half the protein in European feed troughs is already EU-produced, particularly from grain.

By Christin Benecke

In Spain a couple of advantages help competitiveness in this sector. Not – as often claimed – laxer environment protection rules. But instead, efficiency right along the production chain and a positive public image.

By Marc van der Sterren

The right investments in West-Africa are those for the local market. It’s the imports and exports that give a company troubles. And the local market is big enough. Moreover: West-Africa is one enormous market.

By Doris Ahlers, Thomas Preusse

The movement that sees increasing concentration of companies in the agrochemical sector has more than a few farmers bemused. Among the reasons for the mergers and takeovers are the huge costs of developing new products. But could this revolution also be opening new perspectives in the markets?

By Thomas Künzel

Raising capital. Got a brilliant business idea? But no starting capital? Maybe you should consider crowdfunding? Credit providers in the Internet invest in projects, ideas or companies – in agriculture too.

By Christian Bickert

Harvest yields. The larger wheat harvests throughout the world are only the product of the crop’s increased yield capacities and not through expansion of growing area. This sort of situation increases harvest risks – but also the chances of higher prices. This applies even more so for barley.

By Thomas Preuße

Polders. Normally, soil is seen as simply the basis for growing crops. But now and again in the Netherlands one gets the impression that soil is a special substrate widely adaptable for a range of requirements.

By Thomas Preuße

The Netherlands. The efforts involved in wresting polder land from nature have been huge. And because polder soil is fertile, scarce and therefore expensive, it’s intensively farmed. Here, we present three outstanding farming businesses in the northeastern polder and Flevopolder.